Hotaka Nao
Hotaka Nao is a consort of the Empress Shian Yu and former general of the Kohaku tribe. He is the father of Shepnuset Nao and a girl, Melui. Biography Early life Hotaka Nao was born and raised to a boatbuilder and his child bride in the fishing village of Tsuri in the Timor region on the southeastern coast of Amen Yun. He apprenticed under a physician for eight years and intended on becoming a healer to help his village. Military career Despite Hotaka's wishes, at nineteen he became the servant of warlord Izanagi Gorou of the Kan Kohaku tribe and was trained to be a warrior in the Kohaku uprising against the Kahar-Qing dynasty. During a battle in which Gorou was wounded by Emperor Shigeru Assa-Tatkeres, 'Hotaka flung himself upon the Emperor, unhorsed, fought, pinned, and decapitated him. This act awarded him the title ''batulu, which meant "brave warrior" in the '''Yunti language. Among the enemy, however, he was known as the Dagda-Mór or godkiller since Shigeru was believed to be a god among men. This battle was a major victory celebrated by the Kohaku and a devastating blow to the imperial military. This and other victories granted Hotaka an almost-legendary status among his people and the enemy alike. He continued to rise quickly through the ranks until he was granted the title of General after the Battle of the Burning Plains - the youngest to earn the rank in Kohaku history. Now a master of hand-to-hand combat and a talented swordsman, he still found time to pursue the healing arts and discovered a friend and confident in a beautiful healer named Nyota, who later became his wife and mother to his daughter, Melui. However, in the winter of 2506, Gorou grew arrogant and lax in his guard against the dynasty and became distracted in his garnered wealth and many wives, and most of his military duties fell to Hotaka. This frustrated him and his wife and now seven-year-old Melui and Hotaka promised them they would return to the village after the final battle was won. He and the army were stationed behind the Great Wall of the Beligered holding the line against the Kahar-Qing military. But supplies were dwindling and the soldiers and civilians were starving. Hotaka begged Gorou for assistance but was ignored. He wanted to send Nyota and Melui away to the fishing village and they were preparing to depart when the Great Wall was attacked by the Kahar-Qing. Final battle and capture As the end of the Kohaku Rebellion drew close the Kahar-Qing set their sights on the Great Wall of the Beligered. The Battle of Beligered is considered to be the final stand between the Kahar-Qing and Kohaku armies. Initially, the Kahar-Qing cut great swaths through the enemy ranks with their superior weapons, and it was said that the slopes of the Beligered "ran red with Kohaku blood." Hotaka fought fiercely and several of the mightiest Kaharan warriors fell before him and the tide of battle had begun to turn. He inspired great hope and inspiration to the last remaining army of Kohaku. Unexpectedly, the youthful Shian Yu watched as Hotaka killed her father. In her rage, she threw her father's sword at Hotaka, which struck him in the breast and wounded him. His fall shattered the spirit of the remaining Kohaku warriors. Many fled, and those that remained on the battlefield were killed. Gorou was hunted and slain by the hot-blooded Emperor Shin'ichi Amunhikh. Those who lived were rounded up and executed. Hotaka, taken as a prize, was forced to watch as Nyota and Melui were raped and had their throats slit, their bodies lost amongst the sea of corpses littering the ground. He was carted in chains to Shi-Ashdot and paraded as a symbol of victory over the Kohaku rebels. It was Kaharan tradition to behead their enemies in a victory ceremony, however, it was decided that Hotaka, who was so loved by his kin, would be spared, for now. Hotaka was imprisoned for several months until the Emperor granted him to Shian Yu to console her the loss of her father. Initially feeling immense hatred toward him, Shian Yu personally and creatively made Hotaka's life a living hell for many months after, until, after drinking heavily, she found his handsome looks and stature appealing and took him to her bed. After this, Hotaka ignored by the empress until she gave in and placed him in her harem. They grew to love each other after a fashion and these feelings intensified after the birth of the Daughter-Heir Shepnuset Nao. Life in the harem Living in the harem was a tense time. Ostracized and seen as a threat by the guarding eunuchs, finally able to mourn the deaths of his wife and daughter, Hotaka found himself teetering on the edge of oblivion and consumed by hatred and rage. These feelings abated somewhat when Shian Yu became pregnant. While Hotaka was suspicious of the prophecy he also rejoined; for it meant that Shepnu wouldn't spend her adulthood confined to another man's harem. During her childhood, Hotaka taught Shepnu diplomacy, war, leadership, economy, history, languages, geography, and many other matters needed to rule an empire. He also taught her how to fight with a sword, a bow, and a knife. He instilled in her the code and honor of being a warrior and how important it was to give respect to no man who had not earned it. This bond the two had did not sit well with Shin'ichi as he felt threatened by Hotaka. However, despite his objections, Shepnu continued her education under Hotaka.